Unsolved Mysteries: Tiffany Valiante

[PotterHead]

I watched the first episode of the new season of Unsolved Mysteries - the death of Tiffany Valiante and wonder what other viewers thought. I hadn't heard of this case. Overall, I thought Unsolved Mysteries did a very poor job in presenting the case. It was 80% complete a total speculation with a handful of actual facts sprinkled in. It was very much presented from the parents' point of view, who understandably refuse to accept that they may not have known their daughter as well as they thought they did. It's probably "easier" to accept that some bogeyman came across and harmed their athletic 6'2" daughter than that she was going through something and being found out about the credit card fraud tipped her over the edge. On the balance of probabilities, I'm leaning on the suicide side, but keen to hear what others think.

 

[wendybtn]

Everything Unsolved Mysteries Leaves Out About Tiffany Valiante's Death

Unsolved Mysteries’ coverage misses some details.

screenrant.com

I have not heard of this case before your post today. I couldn't find any actual news articles about the case but lots of opinion articles due to the Netflix show. Without that, I am not sure what to think. But most people hit by a train are accidents or suicides. Young kids can get upset about something relatively minor that appears like the end of the world, especially if they are drinking or drugging/partying and make permanent decisions about temporary problems. Very sad.

 

[GatorFL]

I watched it tonight. Weird one, with Tiffany leaving the party and her parents just a minute behind (verified on the trail cam) and she's gone. I find it odd the phone, shoes and headband were found where they were. I also found it odd the 3 convenience store witnesses didn't tell the cops the same thing the store owner heard. Definitely some reasons to think of foul play.

The scene must have been horrific with the train slicing her body into pieces. The blood on the tracks looked to have come from her as a result of the train. It doesn't sound like they did a great job cleaning up since her uncle found some large pieces nearby the tracks. Anyway, with her body being that far destroyed I was thinking the shorts could have been caught on the train and fallen off later down the tracks, further than they searched.

Overall I lean towards it being a suicide. The credit card thing, the breakup. Kids can do drastic things on a whim and that is what it sounds like happened here, IMO.

 

[charminglane]

I was sort of surprised that there was no mention of the credit card owner and friend or family being questioned by the private investigators after her death.
It reminds me of the Debbie Collier case, where the crime scene still had gloves and possible evidence left behind when the examiners were done.

 

[PotterHead]

I was sort of surprised that there was no mention of the credit card owner and friend or family being questioned by the private investigators after her death.
It reminds me of the Debbie Collier case, where the crime scene still had gloves and possible evidence left behind when the examiners were done.

And for me even more surprising there was no discussion about why she might have used the credit card when her mum said she wasn’t raised that way. What was going on in her life? Urgh I’m so frustrated with unsolved mysteries lol.

 

[ivyvanmad]

It struck me as not that odd actually that her feet would show no signs of apparent trauma from walking barefoot… I mean, she was a volleyball player- did she play barefoot? I believe her mom said the shoes were new - did Tiffany discard them because they were rubbing/ uncomfortable to walk in? Obviously just a few things that crossed my mind. The presumed stolen credit card and fight seem like the most important part of the events of that night, obvs besides her tragic death, and the show kind of glossed over this huge accusation that triggered her running away in the first place. In my opinion the UM portrayal feels one sided. Absolutely heartbreaking regardless!

 

[charminglane]

I believe she might have played volleyball barefoot. More like beach volleyball.
Her Dad was raking the court he had built for her.
New shoes that hurt, wow, good thinking.
The fact that TF's clothes were not on her body is something that should not be ignored.

 

[PotterHead]

I believe she might have played volleyball barefoot. More like beach volleyball.
Her Dad was raking the court he had built for her.
New shoes that hurt, wow, good thinking.
The fact that TF's clothes were not on her body is something that should not be ignored.

To me it sounds Iike she was hot maybe from walking and took off her shoes (might have been hurting) and her headband. She wasn’t found completely naked, I think they said only her shorts were missing. From the trail cam, these were super short. This is probably the weirdest part but as @GatorFL said, maybe on impact they ended up tearing and catching in some nook of the train. I have heard of other cases with hit and runs of the victims coming out of their clothes on impact and this was a huge hit. Being somewhat sceptical I also thought, maybe they were so ripped (they were very short to begin with) that they might not have been recognisable and may have been logged incorrectly by the MD. They don’t tend to return things like that to the family so I don’t know that we can say with 100% certainty that her shorts were not on her…

 

[Knitty]

Was High School Grad Being Chased Before Grisly Train Death?

Tiffany Valiante was 18 when she was struck and killed by a train in New Jersey. Her death was ruled a suicide but her parents say several clues point to something more sinister.

www.thedailybeast.com

 

[charminglane]

There's a lot to chew on.

 

[PotterHead]

Was High School Grad Being Chased Before Grisly Train Death?

Tiffany Valiante was 18 when she was struck and killed by a train in New Jersey. Her death was ruled a suicide but her parents say several clues point to something more sinister.

www.thedailybeast.com

What a great article! Thanks for sharing. Presents arguments on each theory and lots of detail. Why was most of this information not included in the episode? To inflate the mystery elements by withholding known facts? It’s like the Rey Rivera case all over again. Sigh.
Undoubtedly the police could have done a better job with the evidence but I still don’t see anything that clearly shows third party involvement. It’s interesting that she had taken money from her parents account too so it wasn’t a one off thing. Just shows there was something going on with her.

 

[customCF]

I watched it tonight. Weird one, with Tiffany leaving the party and her parents just a minute behind (verified on the trail cam) and she's gone. I find it odd the phone, shoes and headband were found where they were. I also found it odd the 3 convenience store witnesses didn't tell the cops the same thing the store owner heard. Definitely some reasons to think of foul play.

The scene must have been horrific with the train slicing her body into pieces. The blood on the tracks looked to have come from her as a result of the train. It doesn't sound like they did a great job cleaning up since her uncle found some large pieces nearby the tracks. Anyway, with her body being that far destroyed I was thinking the shorts could have been caught on the train and fallen off later down the tracks, further than they searched.

Overall I lean towards it being a suicide. The credit card thing, the breakup. Kids can do drastic things on a whim and that is what it sounds like happened here, IMO.

Where have you seen that her uncle found pieces nearby?

 

[spangled]

Was High School Grad Being Chased Before Grisly Train Death?

Tiffany Valiante was 18 when she was struck and killed by a train in New Jersey. Her death was ruled a suicide but her parents say several clues point to something more sinister.

www.thedailybeast.com

Very interesting and detailed article, thank you.

Personally I am still leaning towards suicide.

Although the train drivers' story changes three times, this seems to be to avoid any possible negligence on their part but each story involves seeing her standing or jumping onto the tracks.

Leaving her shoes behind... as said previously, maybe they were hurting.

The fact that the tracking dog indicated her route without the handler being fully aware of the final location speaks volumes and would suggest she was not picked up.

Being caught for the credit card and being confronted in front of her parents would have been deeply distressing and embarrassing, I'm sure. I think this part of the article is telling, after the friend and parents left after the accusation that Tiffany denied...

"According to a timeline provided by Valiante family lawyer Paul D’Amato, Dianne began to search Tiffany’s car with her daughter when she saw the teenager slip the card into her back pocket. Dianne immediately went into the house to get Steve but when they came back out a minute or so later, Tiffany was gone."

Did she know her mum saw her? Did her mum call her out? Was she running off to hide it, was she angry?

18 year old girls can be so unpredictable, I know, I was one once. (I once chucked my own phone into a bush after walking home barefoot at 2am after an argument. I was thinking they might worry if they found it... where is the logic?!)

I think the act was spur of the moment after turmoil however I can't see it being murder.

 

[PotterHead]

Personally I am still leaning towards suicide.

Although the train drivers' story changes three times, this seems to be to avoid any possible negligence on their part but each story involves seeing her standing or jumping onto the tracks.

Leaving her shoes behind... as said previously, maybe they were hurting.

The fact that the tracking dog indicated her route without the handler being fully aware of the final location speaks volumes and would suggest she was not picked up.

Being caught for the credit card and being confronted in front of her parents would have been deeply distressing and embarrassing, I'm sure. I think this part of the article is telling, after the friend and parents left after the accusation that Tiffany denied...

"According to a timeline provided by Valiante family lawyer Paul D’Amato, Dianne began to search Tiffany’s car with her daughter when she saw the teenager slip the card into her back pocket. Dianne immediately went into the house to get Steve but when they came back out a minute or so later, Tiffany was gone."

Did she know her mum saw her? Did her mum call her out? Was she running off to hide it, was she angry?

18 year old girls can be so unpredictable, I know, I was one once. (I once chucked my own phone into a bush after walking home barefoot at 2am after an argument. I was thinking they might worry if they found it... where is the logic?!)

I think the act was spur of the moment after turmoil however I can't see it being murder.

Completely agree. In the UM episode I think her mum said something slightly different (again, like the train engineers, witness accounts vary somewhat with each retelling, it’s totally normal and not always an indication of wilful deceit). She said that Tiffany denied using the card but once the other girl and her mother left, she admitted it. So whichever way it happened, I think her mum confronted her about it.

 

[GatorFL]

Where have you seen that her uncle found pieces nearby?

He said it in the show.

 

[GatorFL]

What a great article! Thanks for sharing. Presents arguments on each theory and lots of detail. Why was most of this information not included in the episode? To inflate the mystery elements by withholding known facts? It’s like the Rey Rivera case all over again. Sigh.
Undoubtedly the police could have done a better job with the evidence but I still don’t see anything that clearly shows third party involvement. It’s interesting that she had taken money from her parents account too so it wasn’t a one off thing. Just shows there was something going on with her.

Yeah after reading that I am 100% sure it was suicide. Lots that the show left out. Lots.

 

[Tower]

Yeah after reading that I am 100% sure it was suicide. Lots that the show left out. Lots.

Imo, absolutely suicide. The chance that Tiffany had a confrontation with a friend and her mom about stealing, tossed her phone, ran off in (possibly) embarrassment and distress, then met up with a murderer late at night in the woods as she ran? And the train staff lied about seeing her alone? That is essentially impossible. The oddest coincidence ever, and we’ve seen some odd ones on websleuths.

Are they insinuating the train staff purposely killed their daughter and are lying to cover? Otherwise, the train staff wouldn’t be covering for the murderer unless they are the murderers? Just bizarre. I feel for the parents, but there are simple, plausible reasons why the stories changed slightly, even just because engineers should have rung the bell, etc., and didn’t follow perfect procedures. No signs of murder.

Understandably, the family is in denial their daughter could have been so distressed, she would have committed this final act. So very sad. What is that saying? Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem? Who knows how long Tiffany’s distress had been going on, with prior history of stealing, and a very high level of achievement. She may have been a perfectionist and deeply hiding “shameful” parts of herself for a very long time. I’m not saying they were shameful, they just felt that way to a teen girl. Just my own speculation. Who knows? I’m very sad she felt this was her only choice. RIP sweet Tiffany.

 

[GatorFL]

Imo, absolutely suicide. The chance that Tiffany had a confrontation with a friend and her mom about stealing, tossed her phone, ran off in (possibly) embarrassment and distress, then met up with a murderer late at night in the woods as she ran? And the train staff lied about seeing her alone? That is essentially impossible. The oddest coincidence ever, and we’ve seen some odd ones on websleuths.

Are they insinuating the train staff purposely killed their daughter and are lying to cover? Otherwise, the train staff wouldn’t be covering for the murderer unless they are the murderers? Just bizarre. I feel for the parents, but there are simple, plausible reasons why the stories changed slightly, even just because engineers should have rung the bell, etc., and didn’t follow perfect procedures. No signs of murder.

Understandably, the family is in denial their daughter could have been so distressed, she would have committed this final act. So very sad. What is that saying? Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem? Who knows how long Tiffany’s distress had been going on, with prior history of stealing, and a very high level of achievement. She may have been a perfectionist and deeply hiding “shameful” parts of herself for a very long time. I’m not saying they were shameful, they just felt that way to a teen girl. Just my own speculation. Who knows? I’m very sad she felt this was her only choice. RIP sweet Tiffany.

BBM. My theory is the mom has survivors guilt and will do anything to make it a murder instead of a suicide. JMO

 

[Mastersmysteries]

I watched the first episode of the new season of Unsolved Mysteries - the death of Tiffany Valiante and wonder what other viewers thought. I hadn't heard of this case. Overall, I thought Unsolved Mysteries did a very poor job in presenting the case. It was 80% complete a total speculation with a handful of actual facts sprinkled in. It was very much presented from the parents' point of view, who understandably refuse to accept that they may not have known their daughter as well as they thought they did. It's probably "easier" to accept that some bogeyman came across and harmed their athletic 6'2" daughter than that she was going through something and being found out about the credit card fraud tipped her over the edge. On the balance of probabilities, I'm leaning on the suicide side, but keen to hear what others think.

The case was poorly investigated. If you do a crappy investigation, (especially on the body of a young woman who was found in a state of undress and NO RAPE KIT PERFORMED), there are going to be questions...with good reason. This would be a really strange way for a young woman to off herself.

Report: Problems plague NJ medical examiner offices

New Jersey’s patchwork system of medical examiner offices is failing at nearly every level, leaving families without answers or closure.

www.courierpostonline.com

 

[Mastersmysteries]

I believe she might have played volleyball barefoot. More like beach volleyball.
Her Dad was raking the court he had built for her.
New shoes that hurt, wow, good thinking.
The fact that TF's clothes were not on her body is something that should not be ignored.

The only video of her playing was on an indoor court. I know lots of people who add volleyball at home in their yard, (where else are the going to put it?). She lived in rural NJ, thinking most of her volleyball games were indoors. Her feet didn't appear especially calloused.